Franks family helps Wakulla program off the field

Jordan Franks, left, a receiver at Central Florida, and Feleipe Franks, right, a quarterback at Wakulla, helped their mom, Ginger, center, promote the FNF Football Team Moms Contest.

Staff Report

Ginger Franks became a regular visitor to FNFMagazine.com after her son, Wakulla quarterback Feleipe Franks, graced the cover of the 2016 edition of FNF Florida Magazine.

One day in August, she noticed that FNF Magazine was promoting the 2015 Football Team Moms Contest, sponsored by Samsung. Ginger Franks spent the next three months encouraging the Wakulla football community to rally around the contest. It worked, as Wakulla won the 2015 FNF Magazine Football Team Moms Contest, which set out to determine the school that boasted the best collection of football teams moms through an online vote. As part of the winning prize, Wakulla will receive a $1,000 donation to the booster program as well as a story in next year’s Florida publication.

“I saw this contest going on, and we try to raise money any way we can,” Ginger Franks said. “I started spreading the word.”

In the last three months, Ginger Franks demonstrated where her son, Feleipe, an LSU commit, gets his competitive fire. She promoted the contest on the Wakulla Gridiron Club webpage and the club’s Facebook page. She asked her sons, Feleipe, and Jordan, a former Wakulla receiver who now plays at Central Florida, to promote the contest on their Twitter pages. Finally, she reached out to the middle school coaches and asked them to spread the word. In total, the Wakulla team moms received 2,498 votes.

“We can use the money right away,” Franks said. “Our inflatable helmet that the kids run through at the end of the tunnel just died. We have to buy a new one. That will be a big purchase. With a small community, this will help.”

Wakulla is expecting to have a new inflatable helmet in place for its first home playoff game Nov. 13 against Bay High. The Wakulla team moms will take part in a check presentation at halftime.